Godly Friendships

Well, I hope you've read the blog posts I recommended in my last post on this subject.  A summary of my thoughts and convictions about Godly friendships will be (eventually) forthcoming, but in the meantime here are a few more resources to check out:

1. Joshua Phillips @ The Ballantyne Blog - "Friendships should be used to edify and build up both participants. Most modern Americans think of friends as people you "hang out" with, talk to about the latest movies, and try to be "cooler" than. True friends edify each other. They hold themselves accountable, discussing weighty and meaningful matters. Many modern relationships are short-lived, and then hung out to dry while the participants move on to other things. Loyalty is rarely seen."
   
   
2. Charles Spurgeon @ The Spurgeon Archive - In the sermon entitled "A Faithful Friend", Spurgeon speaks on Proverbs 18:24 - "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Although this sermon focuses on the friendship we have in Jesus, it is a great example for us to follow in our friendships with other men and women on this earth.

Happy *($%/@!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; please excuse this slight interruption of G4T's regular programming.

This explains one of the purposes of this post (thanks to cshayden.blogspot.com):

We are to listen to the testimonies of our physical and spiritual parents, remember God's providence in history, and pass these truths to future generations. We are not to forget or neglect to tell of His mighty deeds, but rather to remember and declare them (Ps. 78). (@ C.S. Hayden)

But this is another reason:

When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 18:9-13, NIV)

I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells... I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me. (Micah 5:12,15, NIV)

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Why do so many Christians "live on the edge", so to speak, in this area? In Deuteronomy, God said that witchcraft is detestable to Him (in the same sentence that He says "don't sacrifice your children in the fire"), and He will drive out the nations that engage in those practices. In Micah, God says that He will destroy witchcraft, and take vengeance in anger and wrath up the nations that have not obeyed Him. In Galatians, God equates witchcraft with idolatry and sexual immorality. What's the big deal, God? Just a little witchcraft... just burning a few of our children in the fire... why are some people so uptight? We got to rid the church of all this legalism. I just can't take those religious fanatics who want to crack down on Devil Day.

I still struggle with many of the "obvious" sins that are described in Galatians, so I say this humbly, and so incredibly grateful to the Lord for his abounding grace and mercy, which are (hallelujah!) new every morning. But this is an area where we cannot compromise! Listen to the following:

In the post-modern times that today's church-goers live in, many religious leaders and laity are finding relief in stepping beyond some of the rigid boundaries that were arbitrarily set down by what they term as their "spiritual forefathers". Some are growing comfortable with holding neighborhood cursing nights, "which has really helped us reach out to an people group that we've never been able to effectively reach before", according to Rev. Don Nickels of First Church of Canterbury, CA. Other church members report being taken to new spiritual heights by the conferences their denominations have hosted on how to incorporate idol worship into their lives. "I've never felt so in control of my view of God, and it's really terrific", said lay-member Jerry Parker. (Source: TMU News Corp., accessed 31 October 2009)

I hope you didn't fall for that; sadly, that's somewhat of a fair comparison to the view that many Christians hold on "entertainment" for each October 31st. God hates witchcraft. I'm not making that up - read the Scripture passages above. He also hates idolatry. Do you think he appreciates you joking about worshiping other gods? No. Do you think he delights in you playing around about witchcraft? So what are you going to do about it?

Whew. Back to remembering our spiritual forefathers...

Today, if you weren't sure, is Reformation Day. This year marks the 492nd anniversary of Martin Luther's famous nailing of 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany. Thus started the fire that ultimately set Europe ablaze - spreading to Switzerland with Calvin, Scotland with Knox, and France with the Huguenots. It didn't stop in Europe, however - it traveled across the Atlantic ocean, and those Reformation principles became a part of the foundational pillars of the USA.

That USA now has the most Christian colleges and seminaries, Christian bookstores, Christian radio and television programs, and Christian schools. We also have the most churches. And we've sent out the most missionaries of any other country in the world. That little spark that started with Luther's hammer fantastically changed the course of entire nations! God is good.

Tragically, that once-Christian nation is now a nation of apostasy, where more and more people are turning their backs on Christ. Christ, the ultimate treasure and priceless jewel, is being scoffed, mocked, cursed, and rebelled against. Immorality is rampant; moral absolutes are a thing of the past. Even our children are leaving the church in growing numbers - mentally checking out in junior and senior high, and physically saying sayonara once they've been "enlightened" by their freshman-year professors.

So what's the church to do? We must honor and remember what God accomplished through our spiritual forefathers, as C.S. Hayden so fittingly reminded us (quoted at the top of this post). And, if there's anything that bests sums up what those Godly (with their imperfections, to be sure - along with you and I and Abraham) men of old, those men of grit and battle - Luther, Calvin, Hus, Knox - if there's anything that best describes what they (literally) gave their lives to, it is this:

Semper Reformanda.

Always reforming - their personal lives, their families, their churches, their nations, and their world. How? By their own brilliance? No, although God did gift them with brilliance for a purpose. By their own power? No, although God did bless them with sturdiness and steadfastness for a reason.

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

Not by their might, nor by their power - but by the Spirit of the Lord... the reformation way:

• Sola Gratia
• Sola Fide
• Solo Christo
• Sola Scriptura
• Soli Deo Gloria

What better way to live, than Semper Reformanda? Always reforming, to advance the kingdom of the King of Kings, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone - equipped unto every good work by the complete Word of God - and for the glory of God alone. May this be our prayer, our longing, and our battle cry.

Back!

It's been four weeks. A whirlwind of activity has occurred in my own life since I've last written - including a lot of testing circumstances, and some great joys. God is slowly showing me - through my own sins and failures - how weak I really am, and how I need to totally depend on Him for everything.... and sometimes I still don't get it. Yet, God continues to give more of His bountiful grace, and I am grateful to Him that His mercy is new every morning. Hallelujah!

One of those great joys happened this morning, when a neighbor's soul was miraculously regenerated by God, after an incredible series of events leading this dear lady to volunteer to have a Bible study with my mother. God had been already "working on her", as you can tell! We rejoice with the angels in heaven that another name has been written in the book of life!

One subject that I've been giving thought to lately, and have been convicted about, is that of relationships. What is the "health level" of my relationship with God? With my parents - am I setting an example to my younger siblings of a culture of honor? Am I being the older brother that God wants me to be to my siblings - allowing God to use me, an unworthy instrument, to draw them closer to God? Am I edifying my friends when I speak with them? Really edifying them, and not just talking about "neutral topics"?

Allison, at the "Letter from Christ" blog, wrote three blog posts on influence and forming friendships in this last month - and they have been a blessing to me. Although my goal is to spend some time in prayer, reading solid Biblical resources on the subject, and getting the counsel of wise people in this area of relationships/influence... and then to write about that here on this blog - that is my goal, but I would like for you to read Allison's posts first. They're definitely edifying, and challenging. Read and be blessed!

got truth? Conference

My church recently held a weekend conference that covered the basics of understanding a Biblical worldview. Prior to this event my pastor gave three sermons in regards to common areas of disbelief. Here is the link to the mp3 of each sermon.

Scripture
Creation
Suffering

Kerby Anderson ,the national director of Probe Ministries, was the keynote speaker for the "got truth?" conference. He provided a precise, concise, articulate defense and explanation of the following topics:

• Going to College Without Going Astray
• The Bible & Economics
• Truth Decay
• The Christian Mind
  

(The PowerPoint presentations can be downloaded here.)

Come back for more information from this conference like important worldview definitions!

God Provides

I had the great pleasure of attending the premiere of the God Provides series at the San Antonino Film Festival (SAICFF) in January. These short films done by the Erwin Brothers present biblical history in an aesthetically excellent production. I would highly recommend them as powerful evangelistic tools and as quality family movies. You can read more about the films here.

The Mysterious Islands Trailer

I am glad to note that you can download the trailer for The Mysterious Islands on BlueBehemoth.com for free!

You may do so here.

9/11

Peggy Noonan wrote an excellent article, Courage Under Fire regarding the heroism that was displayed eight years ago on this day.

Here are a few excerpts from this article:

...more than 300 firemen dead.Three hundred firemen. This is the part that reorders your mind when you think of it. For most of the 5,000 dead were there--they just happened to be there, in the buildings, at their desks or selling coffee or returning e-mail. But the 300 didn't happen to be there, they went there. In the now-famous phrase, they ran into the burning building and not out of the burning building. They ran up the stairs, not down, they went into it and not out of it. They didn't flee, they charged. It was just before 9 a.m. and the shift was changing, but the outgoing shift raced to the towers and the incoming shift raced with them. That's one reason so many were there so quickly, and the losses were so heavy. Because no one went home. They all came.

I say fireman and not "firefighter." We're all supposed to say firefighter, but they were all men, great men, and fireman is a good word. Firemen put out fires and save people, they take people who can't walk and sling them over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes and take them to safety. That's what they do for a living. You think to yourself: Do we pay them enough? You realize: We couldn't possibly pay them enough. And in any case a career like that is not about money.

Let us not forget the lives of many others who sacrificed their lives to save others and families of those who perished in the flames on this earth.

Evil - Josh Harris

Lacking sufficient time, I have been unable to post recently. School has kept me busy, as well as preparing for a job interview. I hope to have completed another post about the glory of God by Saturday. Convicted by the message, I wanted to share a video by Josh Harris about evil.

In this video he discusses the need to turn completely away from evil and neglecting this discipline causes us to fall more easily into sin.

The Manly Stuff - by C.T. Studd

"Some wish to live within the sound
of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a Rescue Shop
within a yard of hell." - C.T. Studd

C.T. Studd was an incredible man who gave up wealth and fame to live a life of incomparable joy for the glory of God in three mission fields: China, India, and Africa. He was already growing in reputation as a skilled cricket player in England at the age of 16, when his soul was wondrously regenerated by the grace of God. After six years of backsliding and turning away from his first love, the Lord brought him to a point of recommitment and renewal of purpose, love, and joy.

A relatively short but edifying biography of Studd is available here: http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biostudd.html (please note: I am not endorsing the site in general - just the individual article - as I am not aware of WholesomeWords.org's doctrinal beliefs or content).

I'd like to thank C.S. Hayden for linking to the following video in his September 3 post, "Be a Man!". This isn't just for men, either - entitled "The Manly Stuff", it's for all Christians - men, women, boys, and girls. Being fairly short, please take the time to watch/listen to these words originally written by C.T. Studd and ask God to make it the battle cry of your soul. Persevere!

The Mysterious Islands

Vision Forum Ministries has announced the official website for The Mysterious Islands, their documentary on the Galapagos Islands and the impact of Charles Darwin.

Confessions of an Undisciplined Reader

Well, I’m back. After two weeks of flu and regretted procrastination, I realized it’s time to write something. Knowing God: Part III is on the way – but first, the Confessions.

I love books. I stick with non-fiction 99% of the time, so you could say my diet of books is relatively tame. But there’s one major problem: I’m not disciplined. I have at least 20 books that I’ve started at one point or another, and they’re just sitting around the house. I haven’t finished any of them! That’s not to say I’ve never read a book in its entirety – but I definitely struggle with reading one book all the way through.

Sometimes I’ll purchase a book, thinking it will be fascinating – and it is… for the first ten pages. Then it’s move-on-to-another-book, maybe one from the library this time. And the vicious cycle continues. It is not a wise use of the time God has given me – and it doesn’t help me learn anything, either.

I was talking to a gentleman a few months ago, who has a passion for studying God’s Word. This man tackles one subject at a time – if it is the Book of Revelation, then he might have several commentaries on that topic, but that’s his main reading focus. Perhaps he’ll also read a biography of Jonathan Edwards on the side, since going through several commentaries takes a considerable amount of time – but his reading habits don’t manifest confusion, as I admit they do in my own life.

We also discussed how it’s easy to read a book and then promptly forget the main points you had wanted to remember. That seems to me like a time-waster, and we postulated that summarizing the “big things” you want to remember during & after you read a book would be beneficial. Sometimes I do that, actually, but keeping track of a zillion Post-It notes scattered throughout the home (along with six notebooks) doesn’t aid the process.

Action points:

1. Read one book at a time
2. Keep a journal of the key points you want to remember from the books you've read
   

Do you struggle with this at all? Any ideas or suggestions?

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

Submit your caption or short commentary to us. Thanks!

The Clipboard: How to Analyse a Movie

Christians should disdain passive, couch potato’s strategy for watching a movie and instead adopt a pre-emptive, culture changer’s battle plan. I have listed some basic steps that you can take to develop your own battle plan for taking on films.

Preparation

Read a review of the movie before you watch the movie for several reasons, (a) Know what topics you will address and maybe gather some additional resources to support your case and (b) Make sure that you are not open the doors of your home to a spiritual Trojan horse. I have found Plugged In Online reviews to be systematic and do an adequate job of providing a heads-up.

During the Film

Wear the Play/Pause button out! Any opportunity to point out positive and negative elements in the film should be seized with gusto. Field and encourage questions from the audience to clarify issues. This is your opportunity to offer your own commentary that can involve biblical principles, filming techniques, and behind-the-scenes information.

After the Film

Discuss the movie as a whole, looking at the major themes and the ultimate message the directors and producers tried to communicate. Compare your analysis to any reviews you read before watching the movie. You could have your family compose their own review of the movie.

The Clipboard: Silver Screen Threat

When a Christian normally approaches a film to ascertain its ability to provide wholesome entertainment for the whole family, the typical investigation consists of reading the short descriptions of the film or seeing a trailer and the all important MPAA rating check. Thankfully, many families will go the extra mile and read a review performed by a Christian or family organization. However, it today’s culture Christian need to go farther than these steps if they truly desire to ensure that their children are not negatively impacted by the images that flash before their eyes. Not only do families need to do their homework before they watch a film, but also the homework during and after the film.

I am glad to note that most Christians are quite able to identify and debunk the filthiness of Hollywood. When worldviews involving socialism and evolution appear, we can immediately identify, explain, and instruct those around us in the way of truth. Many Christian organizations are able to provide excellent guides to avoiding movies that contain foul language, immorality, and unjustified violence. Not all organizations provide helpful counsel, sometimes even showing favor to movies that strike against God and the family. Many films contain ideas and implied assumpstions which will slowly erode the foundations of the Biblical family.

In some ways a G or PG rated film can be just as dangerous as a more mature film. Why? First, Christians have accepted the world’s standard for grading a film and just assume that the film is okay to watch and immediately lower their guard. Secondly, due to this absurd level of trust, we let their values trump ours if you just make rules that involve ratings to determine what is viewed in your home. The G or PG rating gives a false sense of security, lulling the Christian into a philosophical slumber. I do not advocate watching mature rated films just so that you are forced to be on your toes, but I am arguing that we need to always be on guard. Movies like Princess Diaries 2, analyzed at the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF) arguably can be one of the most cleverly concealed and damaging movies for the family.

Next week I will post a short guide on how to analyze a film, providing you with a guide to forming your own battle plan to avoid passively viewing a film.

Knowing God: Part II

God is the "the Truth." The Bible is the "truth about the Truth." Theology is the "truth about the truth about the Truth." Fundamentalism is the "truth about the truth about the truth about the Truth." Christian people live in these many truths about the Truth, and, because of them, have not "the Truth." Hungry, beaten and doped, we had forgotten theology and the Bible. We had forgotten the "truths about the Truth", therefore we lived in "the Truth." It is written, "The Son of man will come in the hour when you do not think and on a day you do not know." We could not think any more. In our darkest hours of torture the Son of man came to us, making the prison walls shine like diamonds and filling the cells with light. Somewhere far away, were the torturers below us in the sphere of the body. But the spirit rejoiced in the Lord. We would not have given up this joy for that of kingly palaces. (Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand, pages 72 and 73 - © 1969)

Don't ditch theology - it's important. But consider John chapters 14-15, and the book of 1 John.

I recently finished listening to the book Crazy Love (which, incidentally, I highly recommend; more on that another time.) The author, Francis Chan, recommended that you read 1 Corinthians 13, and instead of skimming it over, stick your name in the blanks.

[name] is patient, [name] is kind...  by the time I got to the end, like Chan said, I was lying.

Knowing God is about abiding in Him. It's about obeying Him out of an incredibly deep love for Him - because God first loved us. It's showing God's love to others - and having a burning passion to know God more, and an endless desire that others would know God. It's not a stuffy, dry, purely academic subject. Again, though, I'm not saying to ditch theology. That's really important - otherwise you could very well be a heretic, a blasphemer, and an idolater.

Be balanced. Beg the Lord to make the following verse true in your life, as I'm crying out for Him to make it true in mine. 

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Glorifying the Lord - A Privilege

"Oh, magnify the LORD with me,And let us exalt His name together." Psalms 34:3

A very prominent theme in scripture is the glory of the Lord. Many verses speak of God's glory proclaimed in nature (Psalm 19:1, Psalm 97:6). The Bible declares God's glory to be in His righteousness and holiness. And these attributes cause His name to be glorified above all things. In fact, the Bible speaks of God's glory being so powerful, pure, and awesome, that the mere sight of it would cause sinful men to be killed and cast into eternal punishment. In Exodus 34, the Bible describes Moses's face - a mere dimmed reflection of the glory of God - as so bright and overwhelming that the Children of Israel could not look upon him (Moses).

When Isaiah, in a vision, saw God seated on His throne and His glory, he cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5).

Many passages throughout Scripture extol and exalt the glory of the Lord. God is able to display His glory to His creation in any manner He chooses. He could shine forth His glory Himself to men, which he did many times, or choose not to use any means to accomplish the displaying of His glory, but he doesn't. He gives us the privilege of glorifying Him. We who have been declared righteous in His sight by Christ's death on the cross, receive the the great honor of lifting up our Savior for His glory.

When Christ redeems us from the curse of the law, we are no longer slaves to the law and unable to glorify the Lord; He establishes us as children of the Lord and co-heirs with Christ. Christ proclaimed many times in Scripture that He sought to glorify the Father. As co-heirs with Christ our striving passion should be to glorify God in everything that we do. This is not in any way a burden, but is an incredible gift from God, that he allows us to accomplish, as well as take great joy in fulfilling.

In my next post, I will discuss how the glory of God is shown in our life, and how it is an utter privilege from the Lord to glorify Him.